What Martina McBride Took From Garth Brooks

When Martina McBride moved to Nashville to start her country career, she knew nobody. And she didn’t know a thing about the music business.

In a new interview with industry publication Country Aircheck, McBride talks about those early years, how she got her start and what lessons she learned.

And from Garth Brooks, what she learned about touring.

“Being a part of Garth’s organization and watching how he was with his fans and the energy he put out onstage,” McBride recalled, “it was family out there. That definitely made an impression on me as a young artist. Overall, it was just a great introduction to touring.”

She called herself “the most-green artist” during that era, when she was selling Brooks’ T-shirts and then later on opening shows for him.

During that time, Brooks told McBride something that she still remembers 25 years later.

“The advice that Garth gave me was to take time and soak it all in. Live in the moment. Don’t wish it away,” she said, “don’t want it to go faster.